Monday, July 13, 1998
Cellular phones ring in big business
TRENDS: Convenience, low rates, technology call out to
customers
By Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Along with asking for a name and student ID number, one biology
midterm cover sheet requested something else: that all pagers and
cellular phones be turned off.
Since their market debut in 1984, cellular phones have been
creeping more and more into the daily lives of all types of
people.
No longer are they simply toys for the business world or an
accessory to the BMW.
Today, they are found in movie theaters, lecture halls and
Pintos. Those once bulky and expensive phones have evolved into
affordable, pocket-sized necessities that even high school students
cannot seem to live without.
Just 15 years ago, though, the whole world survived without
them.
"(Business has) been phenomenal," said Melissa May, spokeswoman
for AirTouch Cellular, "far more than anyone ever anticipated."
May added that business increases by 25 percent each year."
Both May and Steve Crosby, vice president of external affairs at
L.A. Cellular, said that the nation has over 60 million cell phone
customers, a number that far surpasses the once-predicted 1
million.
"The industry has seen exponential growth," Crosby said. "We
went from no customers to over 3 million in Southern California
alone. It blew everyone’s socks off."
The increase in demand for cellular phones may be attributed to
several factors, the most influential being the price of wireless
connection.
With average rates looming somewhere around $20 a month and
deals like 1,000 free minutes on weekends, the prices are coming
close to what a regular in-home telephone service costs.
This makes the possibility of owning a cellular phone more
accessible to even more people.
"It’s cheap," said Yohan Lee, a UCLA graduate who originally
bought a cell phone for his girlfriend.
"It’s worth it because it’s free on weekends. I can call my
friends because they have cell phones, too. It’s affordable as long
as you don’t get super fancy."
According to May, one of the bigger trends is more women hooking
up with cell phones, in addition to a growing number of college
students.
"Back when they first came out, it was generally businessmen and
women buying them so they could conduct their business while
traveling," Crosby explained.
"Now, it’s a much different group that includes friends, family
and students," he said.
"It’s a whole different pattern – it used to be more weekly use,
now there is more weekend use," he added.
Virtually anyone who has purchased a cell phone has made the
choice not only because it fits into a budget, but because it’s a
lot easier to stay in touch, May said.
Most people agree that reaching in their back pocket to make a
call is much easier than finding a pay phone and then scrounging
around for those 35 cents, especially in emergency situations.
"People buy them to stay in touch with families and friends,"
May said. "They use them to call if they’re going to be late or to
change a meeting time. Also, now there is a lot more interplay
between cell phones and pagers."
The cellular phone has the same capabilities as a home phone,
from call waiting and voice mail to caller ID and three-way
calling.
Batteries have also been improved to allow for more stand-by and
talk time.
As the technology becomes more readily available, cell phones
will likely add more and more features. One feature to look for is
sending and receiving e-mail on the phone.
Crosby and May each noted that this up and coming perk would
require a text box on the phone and would probably replace pagers
altogether.
On the flip side, although this toy may seem like a godsend to
some, it can also be a source of irritation for others.
For example, imagine a vital and intense scene is playing on a
movie screen, when all of a sudden a shrill ring echoes throughout
the theater.
What a way to ruin the moment, or more often, a lecture.
"Cell phones are really annoying," said Mallika Scott, a
third-year chemistry student. "In class it’s really
disturbing."
"It’s rude and disrespectful, and really unnecessary for people
to be walking around and talking on the phone," she added.
Regardless, the market for cellular phones is growing quickly.
May said. Her vision of the future is that they will soon be as
much of a necessity as the computer is today.
Crosby even goes so far as to say that cell phones will
eventually replace home phones.
"Once the system is complete and you can call anywhere, people
will gravitate toward it," he said. "The bottom line is anytime,
anywhere, you and I can be in touch. That’s the beauty of
wireless."
"About the only thing you can’t get on a cell phone is a date,"
he added.
Just by looking at how many cell phone owners are riding on the
freeways and walking down the street, it’s easy to note their
rising popularity.
If the phones do become global necessities, though, like May and
Crosby predict they will, Scott has one message for users.
"In class, turn off your cell phones," she said.
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Mark Novarro, right, makes a phone call while waiting for his
meal as friend Hector Verdugo looks on.